Once In A Blue Moon
by Faith Frost
Summary: When a peculiar event takes effect upon all five of the Guardians, Jack Frost, the Guardian of ice and snow, gets thrown into the past by one of North's teleporting globes. He has no idea where he is, but he is determined to get up on his feet to find his way back. After wandering a vast forest, he stumbles upon a tower, and in that tower there lived a girl with long golden hair...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"The end."

"What?! Aww, c'mon! It can't have ended like that!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air.

The yetis and the elves grunted and babbled in agreement. The man sitting on the chair in front of us threw back his head and heartily laughed.

Well, that was pretty typical of ol' Nicholas St. North. He loved keeping everyone in suspense with his amazing tales. Anyway, what can get better than listening to stories being told by Santa Claus, right?

"Well, that IS the end actually. I've no idea what happened after that... Why don't you make your own ending, then?" North said, chuckling.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea, actually," I said, getting off the table. I lightly perched on my staff.

"How about you tell us your own ending?" North said with a gleam in his baby-blue eyes.

I grinned. "Aaahhh... You'll have to wait 'till tomorrow," I said, mimicking North's thick Russian accent. He threw back his head and let out a jolly laugh again.

"Alright, then. Fair enough. Okay! Who would like to see my latest toy design?!" he boomed.

Everyone in the room cheered. I half-smiled and tucked my cold, pale hands into the front pocket of my frosted blue hoodie.

"Care to join us, Jack?" North asked, smiling.

"Don't mind if I do," I said and jumped off my staff.

They gathered in the next room, which was wider than the one we were in just now, and got ready for North's briefing.

It was a yellow duck that could paddle itself in the water when wound up. They immediately set off to work after North's given instructions. I walked around and watched them work, though the yetis were doing most of the job, and I managed to 'help out' where I could.

Then, something peculiar happened.

I felt strange.

My eyelids felt heavy and my limbs started to feel sore. Everything in motion looked blurry and all floaty as if I was floating in an endless void of nothing.

I glanced over at North.

Man, he looked horrible. All of a sudden, he looked really _old._ I rubbed my stiff eyelids against the heel of my palms and looked at North again, my eyes all teary._  
_

"Uh, North? What's happening?" He didn't say anything. He just stood there, mouth gaping and eyelids drooping. As every second passed, I felt worse. I felt _tired. _I felt as if I was _three hundred years old._

The next thing I knew, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

My eyes blinked open.

I jolted up with a start and found myself on a bed in a fairly simple bedroom. I tore the covers off myself and dashed out of the room, grabbing my staff on the way. I lifted my feet just a little off the ground, which caused me to trip and fall flat on my face.

"Ow!" My voice echoed through the dimly-litted narrow hallway.

Wait. What? Why can't I-

I jumped to my feet and rubbed my nose. That really hurt. I tried lifting my feet up again.

Nothing. I can't fly. Somebody tell me this isn't happening.

I ran down the hallway and managed to find my way to the gathering place which where most of North's intricate tools are.

Every yeti and elf are here, but I don't see North. When they realized my presence, each and every one of them turned to stare at me with wide eyes, as if I was an intruder who wasn't supposed to be there.

"Bozhe moi!" said a voice behind me.

I spun around. It was North. "What?" I asked, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Something was obviously very wrong.

"Dave, grab me mirror," he said, not taking his eyes of me.

I gulped. I am not liking this at all. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Dave the yeti passed a small rectangular mirror to North, who carefully passed it to me.

Slowly, I took it in my hands.

I looked into it.

_My hair._

_It's brown._

_And my eyes._

_They're brown._

"Eeurghh!" I shouted, and the mirror fell to the floor with a shatter.

My breath grew heavier and sharper, and there was a pounding in my head, like a thousand drums beating at the same time. I looked around, not really knowing what to do.

I think I'm human again.

Which is _impossible_, considering that I'm already _dead._ I'm a spirit, how can I be 'alive' again?

Dave passed me another mirror. I took it in my shaking hands, careful not to drop it again. Seven years of bad luck. I better not drop this one or I'll get fourteen.

I took a good look at myself. I didn't look _that_ bad, but I knew I was back to my human self because I actually feel like it too.

I handed the mirror back to Dave and ruffled up my hair with distress. I looked at North. I hope he has answers for this.

After hours of discussion, we found out that the two of us were human again. The most probable reason why we blacked out was because we fell asleep. But what caused us to become human again?

I sat at North's desk, my feet propped up and my hands behind my head.

"Jack."

I turned around to face North.

"Look out the window, Jack."

And so I did.

And I don't think I liked what I saw.

The clock showed midday but it definitely looked like it was night outside. The moon looked larger than usual and it shone a strange and mystical hue of blue.

So.

The moon is blue.

I looked at North.

He looked back at me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Are you _very_ sure about this, North?" I asked, my hands tensing against the seat of his sleigh. He turned around to look at me with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"Quite sure," he said, and proceeded to adjusting the reins.

"Quite...?" I said to myself.

I was terribly afraid that the reindeer are going to run straight towards the end of the tunnel and fly straight off the cliff to our deaths.

"Alright! Ready, Jack? Buckle up and here we go! HA!" North bellowed at the top of his lungs and all of the elves and yetis moved out of the way.

I clutched the seats for dear life as the reindeer pulled us faster and faster through the tunnel. My human instincts were going crazy and for the first time, I wished North had put some actual seatbelts in his sleigh.

The reindeer didn't slow down, and my grip on the seat grew tighter, and when I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, I freaked.

_WE ARE GOING TO FLY OVER THAT CLIFF AND DIE._

I tried calming myself down by thinking about what had told me during our discussion.

He said that all the planets in the solar system are in a line, so that caused a great havoc to the Earth (as well as to the other planets), like the moon turning blue and the spirits transforming into their original state.

North had pulled on a lever to call the rest of the Guardians, but we waited for hours and none of them came over.

So, we- I'm sorry- _he_ decided we should go get them ourselves. What worried me was the fact how North was confident that the sleigh could still fly.

The sleigh went off the cliff.

I stared at the sky blankly, and looked at the big, bright, blue moon with wonder.

The, I felt the sleigh rise higher.

I looked over the edge of the sleigh, still clutching my seat. I sighed in relief and relaxed a little. Alright, we were flying.

North glanced at me. "Worried, were you, Jack?" he asked, chuckling.

I straightened up. "Well, yeah. Kinda," I said.

He let out a jolly laugh.

So the whole crazy-planet-stuff didn't really take much effect on North's magic after all. You couldn't tell how relieved I felt.

North snucked one of his enormous hands into his brown satchel and pulled out a snowglobe. He uses them for teleportation.

"Who should we see first, Jack?" he asked me.

"What about Tooth?" I said. I hadn't seen Toothiana for quite a while.

"So Tooth it is!"

He threw the globe in the air in front of us and it disappeared for a moment. Then the air shimmered and became a translucent, solid swirl.

The reindeer flew straight towards it, but then something peculiar happened. Instead of flying through it, they crashed into it. It made a horrible sound, like thousands of porcelain vases shattering to the floor all at once.

North and I were flung off our seats and I flew straight through the shattered portal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I blinked my eyes open. My head was throbbing and it took me a moment to realize what just happened.

I sat up and looked around me. I was in a forest... in the middle of nowhere. I felt around for my staff, but I realized another thing.

I left it at North's place. I didn't bring it with me.

I didn't need it, but I felt so lost without it. Now I had nothing to hang on to.

I got up to my feet, but I froze. Just a few metres away, one of North's reindeer was lying on the ground, unconscious. I carefully walked towards it and bent down to take a closer look.

I think it was Comet. I wasn't sure.

Then it opened its eyes ans stared at me for a moment. I smiled. He snorted and got up to his feet. Boy, he's huge. My head only reached the graceful arch of his furry back.

It wasn't Comet, it was Prancer. "Hey, there. You okay?" I asked, carefully reaching out my hand to touch his furry neck. He nuzzled at my hair and snorted with reassurance. I patted him and turned to look around.

I guess we just have to walk until we find something.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's take a little walk."

After what seemed like hours, we finally stopped to rest. I had no idea where we were going, all of the towering trees looked exactly the same. We might be heading deeper into the forest for all we may know.

"Hey, you there!"

I jumped and spun around towards the source of the voice. Just a few metres away, two well-built, red-headed men were standing with daggers in their hands. One of them was wearing an eye patch and I noticed the shiny, pink scars on their faces and arms. I do hope they aren't thugs.

"Uh... Y- Yes?" I stuttered.

One of them pulled out a piece of parchment from his satchel and held it up or me to see. "You seen this guy?"

I stepped forward and looked at it carefully. It was a drawing of a man, with a really weird nose. It was a 'Wanted' poster, and beneath the drawing it said 'Flynn Rider'.

"Nope, sorry. Never seen him before in my life."

The one that held the poster put it away into his satchel, whereas the other slowly walked towards me. He got so close, we were almost nose-to-nose.

"We don't do lies here, kid," he said menacingly.

"Unless you want to get yourself into trouble," said the other.

"Ah... No, not exactly..." I said, wincing a little. I noticed there were quite a few similarities between them. They must be brothers.

The one in front of me stared with his big black eye patch. "Well, it seems to me that he's lying," Satchel-Dude said. Eye-Patch didn't take his eyes (or is it EYE? hehe) off me. "We're giving you another chance, kid. Have you seen him or not?" he asked.

"No," I said. I wasn't afraid, but I was anxious to get away from them.

"He's lying. Get him," Satchel-Dude said.

With the help of my agility and incredible intelligence I ducked under Eye-Patch's reaching arms and pulled myself over Prancer. "Go, Prancer! Go! GO!" I shouted. With great might, Prancer sped off through the maze of the forest, practically flying. I tucked my feet under his warm belly and my arms around his neck.

I glanced back at the brothers. They had stopped chasing us. I couldn't see them anymore. I waited for Prancer to run a little further just to make sure we were safe.

I didn't need to say anything. Soon, Prancer ceased to a stop. I got off him and we hid in a small cave hidden with hanging green vines. But there seemed to be an opening at the back of it. I walked towards the source of the light with Prancer trailing behind me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The cave was an opening to a meadow. It was surrounded by a high wall of rocks and a mini waterfall came down at a corner. Beside a streaming river was a tall tower. Awestrucked, I stared at the view for a moment.

After all that travelling in the woods for hours, I was glad that someone lived here, other than the brothers Prancer and I had just encountered.

"C'mon, Prancer. Let's go look for help," I said, looking back at him and turned around again to head straight towards the tower. Prancer trailed behind me with silent footsteps as we walked. When we got near the tower, I looked up. I had to arch my back a little and the back of my neck cracked a little at the motion.

I walked around the base of the tower; it doesn't seem to have a door. Then how could anyone get up there? I glanced back to where Prancer and I came from. I do hope that the brothers aren't living here.

"Wind, take me up!" I said, lifting my arms up on either sides of me.

Waitaminute.

I don't have my staff.

Aaand... I can't fly. I'm human.

With slight embarrassment, I dropped my arms and turned towards Prancer. "Prancer, we have to see who's in that tower," I said, walking towards him. He stood still and stared at me. I touched his back. He plopped down on the ground on the green grass and turned his face away from me.

I stared at him with disbelief. "What?! Oh, come on! It's not that high..." But I knew it wasn't about the height. Knowing Prancer, he probably wanted carrots. Why did North had to spoil him?

He looked at me from the corner of his eye, then looked away, pretending he didn't hear me and got distracted by the white butterflies fluttering about his head. I was about to go around the tower once more when all of a sudden I saw a black figure coming through the cave where Prancer and I had entered. I quickly walked back to where Prancer was and put my finger on my lips, indicating immediate silence. He snorted in response, telling me that he understood. Thank goodness we were out of sight, just behind the tower.

I slowly crept up to the side and watched the hooded figure stop at the edge of the tower, exactly parallel with us. The figure adjusted the basket in its arms and looked up. "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" the figure shouted in a sing-song voice. It was a woman.

High above us, up in tower, came a response: "Coming, Mother!" The voice sounded like it belonged to a young lady. Almost immediately, along tumble of cloth gracefully cascaded down in front of the Hooded Woman. I squinted at the object to take a careful look. It was golden, but it didn't look like cloth.

_Is that HAIR?!_ I mouthed to myself. I looked up. it couldn't be. The tower was _way up_ and if the mass of hair belonged to the girl that called from the top of the tower, it was probably about 70 feet long. 70 feet of hair. That's ridiculous.

The Hooded Woman made a loop of the hair and put her foot in the middle of it. Slowly, she rose up, like being pulled on a lever. I closed my mouth when I realised it was wide open with astonishment. Well, at least I'm pretty sure the brothers don't live up there. But, you may never know. I watched the Hooded Woman rise higher and higher until she was able to climb through the window, and I turned to look at Prancer nibbling at some grass.

"Prancer," I said, folding my arms across my chest. he looked at me with a vague expression and flicked his tongue out at me. He looked away. I raised an eyebrow. No, really. Did he just stick his tongue out at me?

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine, then. I'll get up there myself," I said, kicking a pebble out of the way and thrusting my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie. Prancer snorted in response. I grunted.

"I'll be back in three days, dear!" It was the Hooded Woman again, but this time she was coming down hitched on the 70 feet of... hair.

I watched her step off the loop and her dark cloaked figure skimmed across the meadow like a ghost, before I could even get to her to ask for help. I didn't know what to do now. Should I get help anyway? Whoever was living up there sounded pretty young. I was afraid I would scare her or something and she wouldn't let me up. Then, it occurred to me that the Hooded Woman climbing up and down the tower might be her mother. I ran towards the cave in frenzy at the sudden change of mind, but only to be disappointed after I realized that she was nowhere to be found and I didn't want to risk getting lost in the woods again. I heard her say she would be back in three days.

Might as well take refuge in that tower. I needed to eat.

I made my way back to where Prancer was. "Prancer," I said. He didn't even look at me. I frowned and looked up.

I could hear thousands of things around me; the musical babble of the stream, the soothing sound of splashing water from the waterfall, the sweet and mysterious songs of birds flying overhead; but somewhere high above me, somewhere in that tower, I hear singing more beautiful than anything else.

I gave Prancer one last and necessary glance and cleared my throat. I took a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs in a high and girlish voice, "Rapunzel! Let down your haaaaaaiiirrr!"

Prancer looked up at me with alarm. I grinned at him. I managed to mimic the voice of the Hooded Woman almost pretty well. So those three hundred years of practice of mimicking voices didn't go to waste after all.

"Coming, Mother!"

My grin grew wider as the long rope of... _hair_... came tumbling down in front of me.

Just like the Hooded Woman earlier, I took the hair in my hands and made a loop. I placed my foot in it and gently tugged on it, indicating to whoever was up there in the tower to lift me up.

"Later , bud," I said to Prancer. He stared at me, his head following my direction as I rose higher and higher above the ground. His face was priceless. Why do stuff like these always happen when I don't have a camera?

At the last tug, just as I was about to reach the window of the tower, deep inside me I wondered if this was actually a good idea at all, but all traces and strings of thoughts disappeared when I saw what was right before my eyes.

She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen; her features were perfect and not a flaw was to be seen.

And the long golden tressels of hair? It was hers.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter** **6**

The second she saw me, her emerald green eyes widened at the sight of my presence as she stopped pulling me up.

The window seemed more like a wide doorway because the opening was so huge that one could have easily stepped onto the wooden ledge without their heads touching the top.

I quickly stepped onto the ledge in case she snapped out of her horror and involuntarily decided to let me go. She backed away slowly, her fearful eyes not leaving mine.

I waited for a few seconds to gather myself- and letting her gather herself too- before I raised my hands in front of me as an assuring gesture and said, "Please don't freak out, don't kill me, don't push me off the window. I just need your help. That's all." She took another step backwards, but her expression remained the same. Well, this was awkward. I guess that meant I had to make the first move.

I stepped from the ledge and onto the wooden floor cautiously, my feet soundless. She took a few more steps backwards and leaned against a wooden table.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was girlish and light, as if she were merely singing instead of speaking, and she had full control over it. I couldn't hear a trace of fear. I remembered what she sounded like when she sang, when I was waiting at the bottom of the tower.

I opened my mouth hesitantly to answer her very general question, but got distracted by the blot of green sitting on her left shoulder. I stared at it. I think it was a lizard. She moved on to her next question, not bothering to hear what my answer was to her first one, "What do you want?" My eyes darted around the room, searching for the perfect words to the perfect answer. I wanted to tell her that it was a really long story, but I saw her hands reach behind her to the table and she pulled out a frying pan.

"If you're here for my hair, the- then back off! I'm- I'm armed!" she exclaimed, holding out the pan at an arm's length.

I ruffled up the fluff of gravity- defying hair at the back of my head. Standing right in front of me now is a girl armed with a frying pan, thinking that I, innocent ol' Jack Frost, was going to take away her 70 feet of golden hair.

I am speechless.

I placed my hands on my hips and cleared my throat. "Um, sorry to burst your bubble, but no, I am not here for your hair," I said, glancing at her through my lashes.

She stared hard at me, frowning slightly. "I don't believe you," she softly said.

This girl was my only hope of not going crazy in an entirely new planet with a reindeer as a companion. So, I told her everything. I told her who I was, how the moon affected the Guardians, and how I got here. I didn't tell her about Prancer, though.

She listened, but her expression told me she wasn't entirely amused or even convinced by my story. But still, she listened.

"So… here I am now," I shrugged, ending my story. She was seated on the table for quite some time already, with her frying pan on her lap. The lizard sat beside her. She looked down and fiddled with the scorched areas at the bottom of the pan. She slowly shook her head and murmured, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

The lizard shook its head.

I slowly nodded and bit my lip. "It's alright. I'll find a way. Who else lives around here?" I asked, glancing out the window.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" I repeated, and turned to look at her with surprise.

She sighed and got off the table. "I've… been here for a very long time."

I narrowed my eyes. "How long?"

Shaking her head, she said, "All my life?"

"Really?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, at least you HAVE been out a few times, but-"

"No, I haven't."

My arms hung limply by my sides as I stared at her. "You have a really awful mother."

She laughed, but it wasn't a sincere one; it sounded a bit pained, as if I were telling the truth. "She's not awful… She's just… over-protective. If only she'd let me out just once…"

I took a good look at her as her words slowly sunk into my head. She had green eyes, bright emerald ones. The area around the bridge of her nose was lightly dotted with tiny brown freckles.

She looked down at her lap and continued to fiddle at the peeling bits of the pan. She breathed in and said, "Every year on my birthday, I'd look out of my window to watch a massive flock of floating lights in the night sky, and I can't help but feel that they were meant for me… They're not stars; I'd observed them enough to know. I want to know where they have come from, why are there so many of them and what are they for especially."

I stared at her. 'Aliens' was the first thing that came to mind, and I actually considered for a moment on telling her that, but I don't think she would be exactly humoured.

"I can't believe I'm actually telling you this," she said, and stared right at me. Her expression wasn't pleasing, it looked almost murderous. "In fact, I can't believe anything now at all." The lizard nodded in agreement.

I just stood there and looked at her. I drank her in, and tried absorbing what she was feeling at the moment. If I were her, I wouldn't have believed myself either. But this wasn't new to me. People have never believed in me for nearly three hundred years, but that could be changed. I could change her mind. And I knew exactly how.

I looked out of the window. It was dusk already and the sky was scattered with rays of orange, yellow and pink. I climbed onto the edge of the ledge and peered to the ground below.

"Careful," she said. I glanced back at her and gave a swift smile. I was surprised she felt concerned. "I will."

I could see Prancer pacing around at the base of the tower as if he were waiting for me. I almost couldn't believe it. "Prancer!" I called out. He stopped in his tracks and looked up at me. "Come on up!"

He bellowed a low reindeer noise in response. I looked behind me. "Hey, do you happen to have any carrots?"

"Yes, I do. Who's that you're talking to?" she asked, looking confused.

I ignored her question and looked back down at Prancer again. "Prancer, there're carrots up here." I didn't need to shout. I knew he could hear me perfectly. Just as I said the word 'carrots', he hopped with excitement and flew straight up to the tower window right in front of me. I grinned and patted the fuzzy space between his two horns.

"What is _that_?" Blondie asked.

"Meet my reindeer, Prancer," I said, jumping off the ledge to make way for the reindeer to enter the tower. He stepped onto the ledge and stared at me.

I grimaced and mouthed the word 'sorry' to him. Turning to Blondie, I added, "I mean, he isn't exactly my reindeer. Just a reindeer by himself. I mean- just a travelling companion." Prancer looked away with satisfaction and shyly walked towards Blondie.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "He's beautiful," she said, raising her hand towards him. He snorted and gently pushed his head against her palm. Slowly, she stroked his forehead and lifted her other hand to touch the base of his majestic horns. The green lizard that had been sitting on her shoulder all the while, crawled across her arm and sat on top of Prancer's head to inspect him. I realized it was a chameleon.

She then turned away from him, saying, "I'll get your carrots." She ran towards the kitchen and started to rummage through some cupboards and baskets. I walked towards Prancer and placed my left hand on his warm back. He nuzzled through my dark brown hair and snorted. I rubbed his neck playfully. The lizard that was still sitting on top of his head stared at me.

Blondie came back with an armful of carrots and Prancer turned away from me to snatch one from her hands. She smiled and placed the rest on the floor in front of him. She looked at me. "He can fly," she said.

I nodded. I glanced at Prancer swiftly and back towards her. I think the moment was just about right. I squinted my eyes in attempt to make my face look thoughtful.

Apparently, North's reindeer still had magic in them, an the blue moon had not affected them at all.. One of the things I had discovered after spending loads of time with North is that reindeer had amazing psychological powers, and the fact still amazed me up till now.

"Hey, uhm..." I started, and she looked up at me. "I don't think you believe what I told you exactly... And I really needed help-" I sighed. "Look... I... Prancer?" He looked up at me, still munching on the carrots. "Could you- could you do me a favour?" He stopped eating and stared at me. "She doesn't believe," I said, and that was all I needed to say to make him understand.

"Just touch him, then you'll understand," I told her.

She did, and almost immediately, her face had a blank expression and she stared straight ahead, looking at nothing in particular. Seconds passed as I watched her closely.

Prancer showed her everything that was necessary, just to bring that spark of belief in her eyes. Then, I thought of home. I thought of North, Tooth, Sandy, and even that big cotton-tail. I miss everyone already. I miss the way the wind would carry me in her arms, throwing me about. I miss my staff. I miss the cold.

"Jack Frost."

I looked up at the immediate mention of my name. She stared straight at me.

"Jack Frost, I believe. I believe in the Guardians, the Moon, everything. But most of all... I believe in you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Dawn had already come, and the tower began to fill with darkness. Prancer had continued to munch over his carrots, and I sat beside him.

Rapunzel was her name, she told me. I watched her light the candles around the living area and kitchen as I sat beside Prancer.

"I've been thinking about the floating lights," I told her. She turned to look at me for a second, but soon continued to light the last few candles. I waited for her to respond to my statement, but I realized that she was waiting for me to continue the rest of my sentence.

"They're obviously not stars, and neither are they asteroids because these lights are much too slow-moving."

She lit the last candle that was nearest to Prancer and I and shook the matchstick she was holding to rid of the flame. She set it down next to the candle and walked towards the kitchen. "Tomorrow's my birthday," she said, stopping in her tracks to half-glance behind towards me. I looked up. She then started bustling around the kitchen, looking for something again.

I felt cold and hungry, and it felt really weird too because this had not happened for more than three hundred years. I felt a rumble in the pit of my stomach and momentarily forgot what she said.

I was thinking about the cold when she suddenly appeared in front of me. "Dinner's ready," she said. I realized that she had squatted down to face me eye level. "Dinner?" I echoed. She took my arm in both hands and helped me up to my feet. I followed her towards the kitchen and sat down at the table. She placed a plate in front of me.

I stared at the crumbly lump on it. "What is that?" I asked. She smiled and turned to get her own plate. "Pastry." I ate up. It was pretty good.

Before she sat down to eat, she placed both hands on the table, shifting her weight on them. Still inspecting my first bite, I looked up at her. "How good is your sense of direction?" she asked.

I swallowed. "Well... It's pretty good. But now that I'm human and in an unfamiliar place, that particular advantageous personality trait is currently an exception."

She pursed her lips. "Right," she said and sat opposite me.

We sat in silence and ate.

"You said that tomorrow's your birthday," I piped up.

She nodded. "Jack, I would like you to take me to see the floating lights."

I looked at her. "Wasn't that your mother coming out of the tower earlier?"

"Yes, but she won't be back in three more days."

"Does she do that every year?"

"Do what?"

"Run away when your birthday approaches."

"Not _every_ year..."

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that you want to get out of the tower without your mother's knowledge?"

"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing to do."

"She could take you to see the floating lights herself."

She looked up at me with an expression of slight resentment. "I've never been out of the tower before, Jack."

I sighed and propped my elbows up on the table and stared at my plate. I considered this for a moment before asking, "You're sure she'll be back in three days?"

She stared at me blatantly. "Yes."

"You seem pretty calm, being the daughter of a paranoid and over-protective mother hen. She even leaves you alone for a few days, completely sure you won't do naughty stuff when she's not around," I said, my lips threatening to break into a sly grin.

Her expression did not change as she continued to stare at me.

I looked down at my pastry and said, "Fine, but first of all we need to get you out of the tower," I nodded reassuringly. She grinned broadly at me and took her empty plate away. "I'll bring you to see the floating lights..." I said a little more quietly.

I then realized that the green lizard seated on the table across was staring at me. "Is that a chameleon?" I asked Rapunzel. "Pascal? Yes," she answered, turning her around to look at me.

"Hi, Pascal," I said, giving my best attempt to smile with friendliness. Pascal did not respond, and turned his back on me to jump off the table. Is it me or am I actually not so much of pleasing company to animals?

Rapunzel brought me some blankets and pillows from her room so that I could sleep in the living area. She would have allowed me to sleep in her mother's room, but the both of us know that it really wasn't a good idea.

I settled down near the window and watched her climb the staircase to her bed chamber. At the top of the landing, she turned around and smiled faintly. "Goodnight, Jack," she said.

I smiled and answered, " 'night."

She smiled coyly (or what may have only been just a shy expression) and entered her bed chamber. It was a little unsettling to know that the room did not have a door, just a thick curtain that divided the two of us. I laid on my side, facing the opposite direction.

Prancer was just laying near my head and I could feel his comforting warmth. Soon, I was in deep sleep.

This was my second time sleeping as a human.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I was dreaming for the first time in many years. I can't remember what it felt like. The only kind of dreaming I did was just staring off into space and thinking. I never slept.

I could hardly make out the shapes and black masses of shadows in my mind. There were echoes of familiar voices and conversations. I felt cold. Colder than I ever had been before, even back when I was Jack Frost, a spirit. But it was the same cold that haunted the back of my mind, a long-lost memory that I kept in my head untouched.

Then, before I knew it, my lungs were blocked. Flashes of images and colours filled every corner of my blank vision. Seconds, minutes, hours; I didn't know how much time has passed as I felt the breath knock out from my lungs as a strange sensation replaced it. I struggled to breathe, but I couldn't. I couldn't even cry out for help.

I tried opening my eyes, but all I could see were dark, murky shadows, as if I was underwater.

"Ja..."

I struggled to listen to the voice.

"J..."

I couldn't breathe. What...? What was filling up my lungs, other than air? The voice kept on calling out. Then, I heard it loud and clear.

"Jack."

It was the voice of a young girl, but in all of time and space, I couldn't remember who she was. I tried calling back, but I was already out of breath and already falling.

"Jack! Jack!" the voice kept on calling.

I couldn't answer her. But for a moment, I almost remembered who she was-

"Jack, wake up."

I opened my eyes.

Tears and sunlight smarted my vision as I struggled to focus on the person bending over me.

"Jack, are you alright?" I felt a hand on my face. "Yeah, bad dream," I huffed without thinking. I tried sitting up, pretending that I was totally fine and that my head wasn't killing me.

"You looked like you were-"

"Like I was what?" I asked. I looked up and never in my whole life have I seen the most uplifting and beautiful face of a woman. I never felt so glad.

"Nothing..." was all she said and looked away. I wasn't paying attention. I kept thinking about the dream I just had, and I couldn't get the image of the girl out of my head. My head was spinning and I was confused.

"Anyway, Pascal and I are ready to go, so the only thing we need to do..." I couldn't focus on what she was saying. My head was spinning.

"Jack... Are you alright?"

"I..." I was going to tell her that I was fine, but I didn't complete my sentence. Or maybe I did. I didn't know. I tried again.

"I'm fine. We should get going soon," I said, and slowly rose to my feet.

* * *

"Jack, I don't think Prancer wants to fly..."

"Ridiculous! What made you say that?"

"Uhm... He's not moving..."

"Prancer! C'mon, boy!"

"Jack, I really don't like this... I feel a little queasy right now up here."

"What? Rapunzel, you've been up that tower for nearly all your life. How could you feel queasy at this height?"

"I really don't want to do this!"

I turned around to look at her. This was the first time she had ever raised her voice at me. Well, the first time since she knew me better. I turned back and stared at Prancer's horns. "Fine..." I muttered. I took a good look at the treeline to spot for any nearby villages or homes. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. "Is that a castle?" I asked, squinting and pointing towards its direction. After a moment Rapunzel said, "So it is. Is that what a castle is supposed to look like?"

I ignored her question. "Prancer, get down will you?"

We flew down and I could feel Rapunzel's tight grip around my waist loosen a little. I jumped down and stretched out my arms to help her get down as well. "What do you suggest? We walk?"

She gripped my shoulders as I lifted her to the ground. "Well, I thought that was what we intended to do."

"Fine then, we walk."

Then, she started grinning to herself as she bent down to reach out to touch the grass. "Wha-" I started to ask. Then I realized that she had never been out of the tower _at all_, and she bent down to feel the grass and started running about to feel and touch and smell everything around her, so I just stood there grinning at the sight of her. The happiness she radiated was too infectious. I felt like celebrating as well.

After she calmed down, we walked out of the vine-covered cave where I saw Rapunzel's mother went out from.

We walked for long moment without speaking to one another. Not a word was said between us, but I made up an excuse in my mind that I was too busy remembering to walk in the direction where the castle is. Castles were always a good sign. I thought I saw a few houses nearby, to complete the look of a village.

"You sure you want to do this?" I asked her.

She looked up, startled by the sudden sound of my voice. "Yes, I am sure."

I caught Pascal's eye and he flicked his tongue at me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Dang it."

"What?"

"I lost track again..."

"You do know that Prancer can still lead the way, right?"

"I don't trust him that much- Ow! What was that for?"

"Jack. Just let him lead the way."

"Fine. Whatever. I just wanted to make sure we were heading in the right direction. No need to hurt me, Prancer."

That was what it was like throughout the journey so far. I had an excessive amount of witty suggestions which would eventually be turned down by everyone else. I was hungry, tired and basically feeling everything a young mortal would feel at moments like these. Rapunzel and Pascal got a ride on Prancer, and that was his limit. I wasn't allowed on his back. 1 1/4 of living beings was already enough of a load to be carried for an entire journey.

"You sure you don't want to check again, Prancer?"

"Jack!" Rapunzel exclaimed as Prancer snorted loudly.

I raised my hands in front of me as a sign of defeat. "Alright, alright, I was only making sure."

I was bored to death. All of the trees looked _exactly the same_. I couldn't fly. It was warm. I couldn't do cool ice tricks to amuse myself or impress Rapunzel. I didn't have my staff. I was stuck in this mortal body of mine, unable to do anything other than breathe, walk, talk-

All of a sudden, my feet gave way and I slipped. Before I knew it, I felt myself rolling down a steep slope. In the distance I could hear Rapunzel calling out my name, but I kept on yelling at the sudden rush of adrenaline. I was rolling and rolling down the hill, hitting into trees and boulders on the way, and eventually halted to a stop at the bottom. I lifted my head from the ground and spat out dirt, mud and bits of grass from my mouth.

I looked around. The trees still looked exactly the same, but the canopy above blocked out most of the sunlight so that the forest looked thicker with trees more than ever. "Rapunzel?" I called out. I coughed and tried sitting up. I hissed at the sudden pain that shot up my right arm, a pain that I didn't notice until now.

The fair lukewarm temperature of the forest was suddenly unusually cold, like summer weather with winds that carried an oncoming winter. It felt strange. Maybe it was because of the lack of sunlight.

"Rapunzel!" I tried calling out again. I stared at my limp arm. I think it was broken. I hated pain. The last time I felt pain was when-

I realized that it had gone starkly cold, even colder than a few moments before. Something was wrong.

I didn't know what to do. I was lost and I could hardly sit up with my broken arm. I noticed that the forest had grown completely silent. The sound of twittering birds and other creatures that dwell the forest was absent and I felt a hard lump growing at the bottom of my throat.

I swear the place was brighter a few seconds ago. It can't be sundown. I wasn't unconscious before this.

I watched in horror as dark wisps of smoke drifted in between the coiling roots of the trees a few meters from where I laid. The smoke slowly took into a form of a humanoid figure and slowly turned into something I wouldn't have thought of bumping into here.

"Well, well, well..."

Pitch Black.

I bit my lip as I felt the sudden terror rise inside me and turned into hard lump in my throat. I had nothing to defend myself against him. I was human and I felt terribly helpless.

"Look what we have here... A puny little human boy, all alone and lost in the middle of a forest. Whatever shall I do to help him?"

I quickly decided that it was best not to answer him or to even open my mouth to say anything. I simply glared at him, trying my best not to look terrified. I wasn't going to lose to him that easily, just because of my facial expression.

Pitch slowly circled around me, eyes glinting with malicious curiosity, as if he was thinking of ways he could get me into trouble. I watched him.

"Why aren't you running away from me? Don't you feel afraid? I can smell the fear in you, you reek of it," he observed, narrowing his eyes as he walked another round. I stubbornly kept my mouth shut and my body still.

Realizing that I was not going to say anything, he chuckled, his voice low. "Giving the silent treatment, are you? Well, let's see what we can do about that..."

Before I sensed what he was about to do, he reached out, grabbed my broken arm and twisted it. I screamed out in agony at the surprise of sudden pain. I could almost see stars flitting across my vision. My head spun, suddenly dizzy.

"Hmm, quite human after all..."

Tears streamed down my face as I bit down my tongue to keep myself from wailing. Pitch grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. All I could see was a blur silhouette because of the tears welling up in my eyes.

"_Who are you?_" he snarled.

It was then I realized that he didn't know who I was. I was looking at Pitch Black from the past, long before I was even born. Everything made sense now. Rapunzel's dressing, the interior of the house... I had traveled back in time, with one of the North's globes. Was that even possible?

"You do not want me to repeat my question again, young man," he said.

If he didn't know who I was, why was he so interested in knowing? Could he have felt something about me?

I swallowed, finding my voice.

"Jack. Frost."

Immediately after the words had escaped my lips, a bright yellow light blinded me and I heard Pitch's screams. Automatically, I covered my eyes with my good arm. Then, the light vanished. I looked around. Pitch was gone and the forest was just as it had been before his arrival. Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned around.

A few meters away, I could make out a shadow of a woman sitting on the back of a deer. I squinted. "Rapunzel?"

"Are you alright?"

I jumped at the sound of the voice. I turned around, and saw a lady, all dressed in white with white flowers in her hair, crouching down beside me.

"I..."

"Jack!" I turned back around and saw Prancer galloping towards me with Rapunzel and Pascal on his back. I turned back to the lady and said, "I'm fine. Thanks."

"Jack! I was so worried-" Rapunzel exclaimed, jumping off Prancer and rushed towards me. "I'm fine, it's just- No! Don't touch me! Don't touch that arm..." I managed to move my broken arm away from her worried grasps. She slowly lifted her hands away.

"You're hurt, Jack. Is that a broken arm, or do my ears deceive me?" the lady asked.

I wasn't too sure about the last part of that sentence, but I grunted anyway, indicating that she was right.

"I can heal you, Jack. Just... lay still," Rapunzel said.

"What do you mean, 'heal'? My arm is broken, I don't think-" I started to argue, but she brought a finger to my lips to hush me.

"Sshh. Stay put."

Slowly lifting up my broken arm, she started to wrap her long, golden tresses around it. "Wha-"

She closed her eyes and started to sing;

_"Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine,_

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fate's design,_

_Save what had been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine."_

As she sang, her hair glowed, and I stared at her in awe. He hair was already shining and golden, but every inch of her looked magical when her hair glowed. When the song ended, her hair went back to its original state. "Feel better?" she asked.

The lady in white clasped her hands with pleasure. "That was absolutely wonderful, Magda!" she exclaimed.

It took me a moment to figure out Rapunzel's question, then I realized that I wasn't in pain anymore. I moved my arm. It surely did not feel like it had been broken. "What did you do?" I asked stupidly, even though I clearly knew the answer was that she had healed me. "How did you do that?" I added.

"It's my hair... It's kinda... magical?"

"What? Magda, tell him properly!" the lady in white said.

"Alright. My hair has the magical ability to heal, it has been a gift from birth. Well, as my mother claims it to be. I'll be honest with both of you now. My hair is the reason why I never left the tower. Mother always told me that there were people out there who wanted me for my hair, so she hid me."

I didn't know what to say. Sensing my speechlessness, she added, "I know that's a lot to take it, but yeah... I'm sorry you had to find out about it this way."

I nodded. "It's okay."

I tried standing up, with the help of the ladies. "I believe we have not met before," I said, turning to the lady in white. Still holding on to my arm, she smiled at me. "I am Cadhia, I live in the forest."

"You a friend of Rapunzel's?"

She threw back her head and laughed. I blinked rapidly, surprised by the bell-like sound that escaped her lips. "No, I'm afraid I'm not. We have only been acquainted after you fell down the slope. I came to see what happened."

"Cadhia was the one who saved you by conjuring that light," Rapunzel piped up.

"Oh, uh, thanks, but-"

"Never mess with the Nightmare King. You were lucky that I found you in time." Cadhia told me.

"That's what he's called? The Nightmare King?" Rapunzel asked.

"He goes by several other names, but I prefer to refer to him as that."

"He's also known as Pitch Black," I said as I dusted off the dirt and bits of dried-up mud from my clothing.

They both turned to me. "That was him?" Rapunzel quietly asked. I nodded.

Cadhia stared at me for a long time before saying, "Ah. That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"You said you were Jack Frost. I know who you are. Or who you will be. Technically."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I am sure you know that I cannot possibly be human after seeing that I've rescued you from the Nightmare King."

"I guess not..."

"I'm a fairy. And I like helping people. The end."

"No... not the end... Tell him more," Rapunzel said, scowling at Cadhia.

"Oh. Right. Magda here tells me that all of you are heading towards the kingdom. I would like to request to join in."

"You don't have to request! You are most certainly welcome to join us in our journey. Aren't I right, Jack?"

"Yeah, sure."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Are we going the right way?"

"Jack!" Cadhia and Rapunzel exclaimed.

I sniggered to myself at their response. "Sorry, bored again," I shrugged.

"Please focus on where you're walking, Jack. Remember what happened the last time you complained?" Rapunzel said.

"Honestly, Magda, how can you even stand this boy?" Cadhia said.

"Fine, let's have a proper conversation, instead of me blabbering to myself as I walk with sore legs behind you two," I exclaimed and eyed the two girls who were riding on Prancer. I had a feeling Prancer would never let me ride on his back again.

"Why do you keep calling Rapunzel 'Magda'?"

"Because she is from the high tower. The whole forest knows about her. Well, at least the magical side of it does. That is what we call her."

For the next few hours, or that was what it felt like, the three of us exchanged stories about ourselves. Rapunzel and I didn't need to tell much to Cadhia. She was a Seer Fairy, a somewhat clairvoyant. She knew about us more than she should. She told us that her homeland was in the deep Irish forests where she lived in a whole community of fairies.

"But why are you here?" Rapunzel asked.

"I ran away. I had to. I was banished from my fey. It's a long story, I'll tell the both of you someday."

The ladies continued in enthusiastic conversation as I trailed behind them somberly, but politely quiet. They talked about many things; Cadhia told about the fairies and the mountainsides and forests of Ireland as Rapunzel listened with fascination. Rapunzel had not much to tell, only her dreams and wishes that she had listed down mentally since she was a little girl.

"I really want to see the floating lights. That has been my lifelong dream. I want to know why they are being released on that particular day every single year."

"Floating lights?" Cadhia asked.

"I figured they were lanterns," I piped up.

"Lanterns... Only once a year?"

"Yes."

"I know about these lanterns! Every year the King and Queen along with the rest of the kingdom releases a big lot of them into the sky. They lost their daughter, the princess, many years ago and they are hoping the lanterns would help her find her way home."

"Wow... I... Is that really what the lanterns are for?"

"Yes, I am absolutely certain. The whole kingdom knows about it, including the ones nearby. This was what I have overheard from the other fairies. I am not too sure about particular details. I do not mingle around with the other fairies much."

I looked at Rapunzel and noticed the slight crestfallen expression she wore on her face. Cadhia didn't notice anything because Rapunzel's face was turned away from hers. There was a gaping silence as I thought about what Rapunzel told me the day before. She said that she felt as if the lanterns were meant for her.

"Well, I'm glad I know now. I can't wait to see them being released tonight!"

I almost didn't believe how she could change the tone in her voice and the look on her face that quickly. It startled me. Still, she looked like she was going to be fine. Then, I imagined the countless times she must have asked her mother to let her out of the tower just once, but always being turned down; the countless of times her mother had left her alone in the tower and a great feeling of mischief and adventure burned inside her to go against the rules, but never having the courage to sneak out; the countless of times she looked out her window and wondered what was beyond those tall rocky cliffs.

"Jack? What are you going to do once you reach the kingdom?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, first of all I've got to make sure you get to see the lanterns tonight," I replied.

"Then what?"

"Then... I don't know. Find refuge, I guess. Get a job. Find somewhere to live. Perhaps if I have the time, I'd try to find a way to get back home."

"I have never seen a blue moon in all my life. It's powers are certainly strange," Cadhia said.

"Yeah, tell me about it," I said.

Then I thought to myself, after seeing the lanterns, the three of us would go our separate ways.

"What are you going to do in the kingdom, Cadhia?" Rapunzel asked.

"I might have to part with the four of you for a bit. I'll join you tonight. I have a few things I need to do."

"Like what?"

"Ah, I will have a bit of my fun there," she mused, a whimsical smile playing at the edges of her mouth.

Rapunzel and I looked at each other. I shrugged.


End file.
